BICOM

Saboteurs early this morning blew up the pipeline carrying natural gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan in the third such attack on the pipeline since February. Egyptian security sources said that the explosion, which forced the pipeline to shut down, took place at Bir Abd in the northern Sinai Peninsula 60 kilometres east of the Suez Canal. Sources say men armed with machine guns approached guards at the pipeline in a small truck and overpowered them before planting an explosive on the pipe. Witnesses said the explosion was heard across the desert and fire plumes were seen above the station.

Two previous explosions took place on 27 April and 5 February  the al-Sabil gas terminal causing the Gasco Company, who runs the pipeline, to close the line for weeks. The security issues surrounding the gas line came after the toppling of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Jordan depends on Egypt’s gas to generate 80% of its electricity, while Israel gets 40% of its natural gas from its neighbour.

The security situation in the Sinai, and cooperation between Israeli and Egyptian security forces have deteriorated since the fall of President Mubarak. This has raised Israeli concerns about the future of Egyptian-Israeli strategic cooperation, which has been an important cornerstone of Israel’s regional security strategy in recent years. The signing of the Fatah-Hamas unity agreement under Egyptian sponsorship and the opening of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza have been other signs of Egypt’s shift in policy since the change in regime.